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American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

For the first time ever, the US no longer has a majority of Protestants as the number of people with no religious affiliation rises, a study has found.

The Pew report found only 48% of adults identified themselves as Protestants, down from 53% five years ago.

The long-expected decline was pinned to a rise in those claiming no religion - about 20% of Americans, the study said.

This gives me hope for the normalization of US politics. Maybe it will become more like other developed nations. Or perhaps I should say it will return to being itself: a country that, instead of running to the nearest preacher for policy advice, can match wits with any of history's great thinkers, giving the world ideas like this:

But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. -Thomas Jefferson

I think in many ways the States is still in the grip of McCarthyism. It's time to move past Janet Jackson's nipples. Interesting to see which party serves their growing interests:

The report found that those with no religious affiliation are much more likely to support abortion rights and gay marriage than the rest of the American public.

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

Bachmann has indeed re asserted her conspiracy theories.

I don't know how America has gotten back to McCarthyism but it's scary stuff. The new religion poll numbers are not surprising. Didn't someone do a study that showed that by the late 2020's the USA will be vastly agnostic and athiest?

Probably the long term effects of the never ending culture wars.

We're gonna sit down and have ourselves a drink! And after we're done - after *I'm* done, you can run upstairs and take whichever one of them little pills makes you feel the best~Dolores Claiborne

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

You need to accept this data with a big grain of salt. 48%% of Americans identify as Protestant, and about 25% of Americans identify as Catholic. That's still ~73% who identify as Christian.

Moreover, the 20% who claimed "no religion" were not claiming to be areligious. They were claiming to have no particular church which they attend on a weekly basis. The majority of this 20% still consider themselves religious, even though they have no particular religion with which they identify at the moment., The majority of this group is also under 30, and so may well come to identify themselves with a particular church as they get older.

Originally Posted by bankside

Maybe it will become more like other developed nations. Or perhaps I should say it will return to being itself: a country that, instead of running to the nearest preacher for policy advice, can match wits with any of history's great thinkers, giving the world ideas...

This may happen eventually, but it's going to take quite a few more decades. The USA is going to be legislating fundamentalist Christianity for quite a long time yet.

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

The first world is headed to agnosticism and atheism. It's an unavoidable side effect of, yunno, learning things and understanding the world as it is instead of how we imagine it to be. And right wing extremists don't do their religion any favors by painting it as backward, bigoted, hypocritical and hateful in the eyes of young people.

I am a bit sad though, religion has done a lot of good in the world.

That we are capable only of being what we are, remains our unforgivable sin.
- Gene Wolfe

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

I personally converted from a baptist to no religious affiliation. I'd rather develop my own rational ideas about Christ and God.

Baptists have always amused me. The core of the Baptist position is that every individual has to think and decide for himself, but try actually doing that in most Baptist churches....

"Thirty-one* states allow all qualified citizens to carry concealed weapons. In those states, homosexuals should embark on organized efforts to become comfortable with guns, learn to use them safely and carry them. They should set up Pink Pistols task forces, sponsor shooting courses and help homosexuals get licensed to carry. And they should do it in a way that gets as much publicity as possible. "

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

.....and the more charismatic the pulpit banger....the more inclined the flock are sure to be sheared...not only of their tithes...but of their capacity or will for critical judgement.

LOL

Apt comparison.

I used to use "Baptist theology" as a prime example of a contradiction in terms.

"Thirty-one* states allow all qualified citizens to carry concealed weapons. In those states, homosexuals should embark on organized efforts to become comfortable with guns, learn to use them safely and carry them. They should set up Pink Pistols task forces, sponsor shooting courses and help homosexuals get licensed to carry. And they should do it in a way that gets as much publicity as possible. "

Re: American protestants losing ground to unaffiliated/atheists

Rolyo is right. This 20% is far more agnosticism or "spirituality" than outright atheism. It's a twofold problem. Chiefly, many people are fed up with the hierarchy of religions. The second is the anachronistic creed that they teach. If you are capable of thinking for yourself, religion is not going help you at all. Many of them do provide good moral guidelines such as "love your neighbor", "care for the poor and sick" but the politicizing is what kills them.